The Leadership ChallengeSample

Challenge 37

JESUS, A MASTER COACH

READ: Mark 8:27–38

The word “coach” is relatively recent in origin and is used primarily in reference to athletics, though many books now focus on coaching as a skill for effective leaders. Military leadership manuals often use it interchangeably with the concept of mentoring. My own definition of coaching is “coming alongside a person or team in ongoing intentional conversation focused on helping them discover God’s agenda for their life and ministry.” This concept is certainly consistent with biblical concepts associated with discipleship. While the word coach is not used in Scripture, as we consider Jesus’s work with the disciples to whom He would entrust God’s mission, we see that He is a master coach. Like a modern coach, His relationships are built on character and trust. And in our text, we see Jesus using the classic coaching skill of asking powerful questions to bring His followers to a point of deeper understanding. Rather than simply directing them or making statements, Jesus asks probing questions to encourage them to explore for themselves and thus have ownership of the answers they discover. Crafting good questions isn’t easy. We tend to interject our own ideas into conversations even by the questions we ask, but good questions seek to draw insight and perspective from the person we are coaching. People learn more by discovering truth for themselves.

Where does Jesus use this approach in our text? How are you developing coaching skills, particularly asking powerful questions, in your role as a military leader?